AN: So, I started this series of Chase/Cam stories centering on holidays. Since I'm nothing if not timely (ahem), here is the first part of the story about How They Spent The Fourth of July. Happy Fall to you too. This is the third story in the series. What they Did on Their Thanksgiving Vacation is first. What they Did on Valentine's Day is second. Those stories should be read before this one. Thanks for reading and for putting up with my strange calendar.
Until It's Time for You to Go
"We're in Illinois!" Chase announced, the slightest hint of panic in his voice. He turned his head and watched as they passed the road sign welcoming them to the Land of Lincoln. Yep, they were in Illinois.
"Don't worry. They'll let us back into Missouri," Cameron assured him with a laugh. "No passports required."
"We're still going the wrong way!" Chase told her needlessly.
"I know that," Cameron agreed. "Did you see any ramps for Fifty-five South?" she quizzed. "I didn't think so," she replied to the unanswered question.
"How much construction can they possibly do in one city?" Chase asked. They had gotten out of the airport easily enough, but trying to find an exit for the road they needed, I-55, in the direction they needed, south, had been impossible due to detours and blocked exits.
"A lot." Cameron laughed. "See… now we're all set." She steered their rented sedan off the highway at the ramp they found. "Now, all we have to do is turn around and go the other way." A minute later they were back on the highway. "See, Fifty-five south."
"Do you often detour into other states on your way home?" Chase teased her.
"Honestly, Daddy usually picks me up at the airport," she shrugged. "I thought I knew my way around the city better than this," she admitted. "I guess it's been longer than I thought since I really lived here."
"I didn't realize St. Louis was so close to the state line." In just a few minutes they were back in Missouri. "There's the Arch again," Chase observed. "Should I take a picture?"
"From the car window?"
"I can turn off the flash," he told her, reaching into the back seat for her purse. He opened it and took out the digital camera, turned it on, adjusted the flash, and snapped a picture. "Damn. I got a beer truck."
Cameron laughed. "Try again."
"Oh, that one's better," he said. He snapped a few more. "There, now I feel like a tourist."
"If you want, we could come back early and go inside."
"Eh, I don't need to feel like that much of a tourist," he shrugged. "You know, as far as wonders of architecture go, the Sydney Opera House is much more impressive."
"Snob," Cameron teased.
"Just saying…" He reviewed the photos he had taken before putting the camera back in his wife's purse. "I'll have to show you one day."
"Good. When we're in Australia, you can drive." She was somewhat surprised at his statement. Chase had never said much about going back to his homeland. He did not reply, so she let the subject drop. One thing she had learned over the course of their relationship was that her husband was not going to talk a lot about his family or his life prior to his arrival in New Jersey. "My mom is going to start expecting us for every holiday if we keep this up."
Chase could tell that what Cameron was saying was that she too could get used to going home to visit every few months. "That's fine with me. I like your family." He had not really spent a lot of time with them, just a couple of days at Thanksgiving and an overnight trip for Christmas last year. The big family gatherings were a side of life completely unfamiliar to Chase, but he was warmed by the idea of having a real family.
Cameron smiled. For some strange reason, Chase really did have a fondness for her loud, boisterous relatives. She loved seeing them through his eyes.
They arrived at her parents' house a little after noon. The Parkers were having another family gathering, this time a barbeque in the back yard. Most of the family had arrived before the newlyweds did.
David Parker met them at the car. He greeted his daughter with a warm hug and then turned to Chase with his arms crossed over his chest. "So, you went and got my daughter knocked up, did you?" he asked sternly.
"Yes, sir." Chase answered, a little taken aback by his tone.
"Way to go, son!" David slapped him on the back and started laughing. "I was starting to think I'd never get any grandkids out of this one."
"Dad!" Cameron exclaimed, rolling her eyes. She put her hand on her growing abdomen, something she had gotten into the habit of doing. She was already starting to show.
Chase sighed with relief, glad to know he had not done something to anger his father-in-law.
"Let's leave the bags until later," Cameron suggested to Chase. He nodded in agreement. "How's Meggie doing?" she asked her father. Her sister had found out she was pregnant just before Thanksgiving and was already a week late giving birth.
"See for yourself," David said, leading them through the house and into the backyard.
"She's here?" Cameron asked, surprised. "Shouldn't she be home?"
"Probably, but you know how stubborn she is. I think she'd be on a tractor baling hay if she thought it would get that kid to pop out already."
Cameron was shocked when she saw her sister sitting on a lawn chair, fanning herself with a paper plate while an electric fan blew directly on her. Her face was flushed and her hair was damp with perspiration. Most shocking of all, she looked as if she had gained at least fifty pounds. "Oh my god," she said quietly. "I'm going to turn into a blimp," she whispered to Chase. She and Meggie had always had a very similar build.
"It doesn't matter if you do," Chase whispered back to her.
"Like hell it doesn't," Cameron responded in a low voice. "Meggie!" she exclaimed, approaching her sister. "Oh, honey, don't get up!" She told her as Meggie made a feeble attempt to move one leg to get up to greet her. Cameron leaned over and hugged her, their pregnant bellies touching. "You look great!" she said.
Her husband, Nick Simpson, reached out to shake Chase's hand in greeting. "How ya doing, Robert?"
"You're a lousy liar," Meggie responded. "I look like a beached whale."
"No, you don't," Nick said, reaching over to pat her hand.
Meggie jerked her hand away. "You, on the other hand, look adorable. I knew you'd be cute pregnant."
"Thanks," Cameron smiled. She had gotten complimented so many times that she usually felt pretty good about her changing body.
"Allison!"
Cameron turned around to see her mother rushing to welcome her home. Ellen Parker threw her arms around her oldest daughter, engulfing her in a tight hug. "Oh my god, look at you!" she gushed. "You're just about the cutest little mom to be I've ever seen."
From the corner of her eye, Cameron could see Meggie scowling.
"I think it's going to rain," David said to his son-in-law, looking up to the cloudy sky above them.
"Yeah," Chase agreed. "The breeze is nice though."
"So, you want to help me throw a few shrimp on the barbie?" David asked with a terrible Aussie accent.
"Sure," Chase said agreeably, despite the stereotype. "But we'd call them prawns, you know," he laughed.
"Really? We call them hot dogs." David said seriously. "No shrimp here today. I was just teasing."
"Oh," Chase answered, feeling somewhat stupid. At any minute he expected Uncle Herman with the spot on his leg to ask him about dingoes.
Chase followed David to the grill and asked if he could help.
"How are you with a knife?" David asked.
"Precise," Chase answered, subtly reminding his father-in-law that he was a surgeon. Ability to understand American humor not required. Thank you very much. It was silly, but he was still smarting from the joke made at the expense of his heritage.
Chase was definitely not enjoying being around the Parkers as much as he had at Thanksgiving. David's words sounded welcoming and jovial, but his demeanor was reminding Chase of his own father. In other words, Chase suddenly felt very inadequate. Maybe David was not as happy to have him married to his daughter as he claimed.
"I suppose you would know your way around a knife, wouldn't you?" David laughed, still sounding friendly. "So, how are you at putting together shiska-bobs?"
"We'll see," Chase said, reaching for a skewer. He barely had his hand on the implement when he heard his brother-in-law's voice.
"Oh, don't worry. I've got it," Nick said. "You can visit with the family. I'll help Dad grill."
"Okay," Chase answered. The fact of the matter was he did not really know any of the family and unless he wanted to engage Uncle Herman in a conversation about the The Spot, he was not sure what he would talk about with any of them. Hearing Nick calling David "Dad" also made him wonder if he was expected to do refer to David as "Dad" from henceforth as well.
That was weird.
Dad
He glanced back at Cameron and saw that she and Meggie were deep in conversation with their mother. From the way they kept patting their own bellies, it looked to him like they were telling their war stories about pregnancy. Cameron looked very happy and so did Ellen. Meggie looked a little less miserable than she had when they arrived. Chase wistfully thought how nice it would have been for his wife to have been near her sister through the whole pregnancy. They could have been a support system for each other.
The wind ruffled his hair and blew smoke in his eyes, making him glad that he had a free pass to get somewhere other than downwind from the grill. He did not want to disturb Cameron and distract her from her time with her family. He glanced around the back yard, scanning his options.
He had never had to deal with family before, not like this. He really was not even sure how to start, other than inane small talk. He wondered if that was what family members were supposed to do--talk about the weather? He supposed he could go hang out with Cameron anyway. No, he told himself. She needs her sister and mother for a change. He was not going to allow himself to be clingy.
There was an empty space at the patio table, so he decided he would go speak to Uncle Herman since he remembered his name at least. He glanced at Herman, then back at Cameron. Damn, he loved that woman.
Even though he had met most, maybe even all, of these people before, it had been in a succession of one person right after another and between his nerves, the number of people, and the time that had passed, he had forgotten which name went with which face in most cases.
"Herman, right?" Chase asked, as he reached the empty chair.
"That's me!" Herman said with a robust smile.
"We met at Thanksgiving," Chase reminded him. I'm Ca-Allison's husband. Robert. Chase." He extended his hand which Herman clasp firmly and shook.
"I remember," Herman said. "Boy wonder. Why didn't I get a wedding invitation?" he asked.
Chase observed that he was smiling even though his tone was serious. This must be a Parker thing, he decided. They act like they are pissed off when they see you to make a joke. Okay, he could play that game. "Small ceremony," he said, sitting down. "Me, Ally, and Elvis." Somehow calling her Ally seemed perfectly normal at the moment since that was what everyone here called her. "The better question is, why didn't we get a wedding present?"
Herman laughed as if that was the funniest thing he had ever heard in his life and he slapped Chase's shoulder. Maybe he was not so bad after all. "Do you remember my brother Paul?" Herman asked, reintroducing the pair.
"Yes," Chase nodded. "Packers fan."
"Can you believe this mess with Farve?" Paul asked, seizing the opportunity to talk about the politics of the game.
"Don't start that again," Herman warned. "Everyone's sick of it."
Chase had absolutely no idea that the quarterback had issues with retirement since last Thanksgiving when he had heard about how great he was.
"Your guys really pulled it out at the Super Bowl, didn't they?" Paul asked.
"My guys?" Chase repeated. He had guys? He thought back to remember this year's Super Bowl. That's right. The Giants had won. The majority of the men on his surgical team had bragged as if they personally had something to do with it. "Oh, right," he nodded. "The Giants won. I honestly don't pay much attention," he admitted. "I don't have a lot of free time," he added, seeing that the other men looked scandalized. "Especially with the baby coming and everything." He had never before had to justify not watching American football. "We're trying to find a house, something with a nice yard. Kind of like this."
"That's right! Our little Ally is pregnant! Congratulations!"
"That's going to be a pretty baby," Paul predicted.
Chase smiled. "It has to be with Ally as a mom," he agreed. "Smart too."
"Boy or girl?" Paul quizzed.
"Don't know yet," Chase answered. "I know. Everyone thinks we would have found out, but it hasn't been very cooperative during our sonograms yet. We haven't been able to get a good view."
"I wouldn't want to know," Herman said.
"I understand," Chase agreed. "The element of surprise is kind of nice. The thing is, we both can read sonograms, so the only way we'll be surprised is if our baby stays modest."
Herman laughed. "He gets that from you. Ally has never been shy in her life."
"I have no trouble believing that," Chase agreed. "I, on the other hand, was a quiet little geek." He remembered himself as a shy and reserved child. He had spent the first five years of his life in the company of very few adults--his parents, grandmother, his grandfather who had died before he was five, and an au pair who also played tutor. He had rare opportunities to meet other children, perhaps at a park or in church. By the time he started school, he had been well ahead intellectually, but behind socially. It all added together to make him quite sure the kids just did not like him from the start. In fact, he sort of felt like he was back in his first day of school now, not quite sure who to talk to or what to say to them. "Tell me about Allison as a kid," he urged, wondering how her family remembered her.
"Center of attention," Herman said. "She liked dancing, gymnastics, tumbling. There was always another recital or competition and she always had to show off when the family got together."
"I bet you were all proud of her."
"Of course, especially David. He thinks that girl hung the moon. You'll see if you have a little girl," Herman said. "I had two, you know, Jenny and Julie."
"I can't imagine having twins," Chase smiled. It was strange and scary and wonderful all at the same time to discuss fatherhood with these men. He was just a few months away from joining their ranks. This time next year he would have his own child to talk about and that would be great because he did not know enough about sports and they did not know much about triple bypasses.
A lull came over their conversation just as a huge shadow fell over the yard.
Paul looked up. "Looks like we might get washed out," he observed.
"Might do it," Herman agreed. But the wind just blew, so no one paid much attention.
After a few minutes of awkward silence, Chase asked, "So, how's your leg?"
"That damn spot is getting darker," Herman said. "Here, I'll show you." He bent over, rolled down his sock and pulled his pants leg up to his knee.
"That's a diabetic ulcer," Chase said, taking one look at the lesion. He felt guilty knowing it had been there since at least November. "Haven't you had a doctor look at it?"
"If you count now," Herman answered. "It deosn't really hurt. It's just there. I don't have diabetes."
Chase cocked his head to one side, studying the spot. "Yeah, you do. Sorry. Is anyone else here diabetic? Maybe we could borrow their monitor to test your sugar."
"I'm not sure," Herman said, sounding somewhat bewildered.
"You've got to see your GP as soon as possible. You need treatment for that lesion and you've got to get your blood sugar stabilized. Don't eat or drink anything after ten o'clock tonight and go in for a blood test first thing in the morning."
"I don't eat that much junk," Herman offered.
"Which may be why you haven't gone into a coma yet," Chase replied. "Oh, sorry," he said, realizing how harsh his words may have sounded. "I don't mean to sound like a jerk, but I'm worried about you."
"It's never good to hear that a doctor is worried about you," Herman frowned. "I"ll get it checked out."
"Good. Diabetes is a very manageable disease. It's not easy, but it can be done with the right diet, exercise, and medication."
Herman nodded. His holiday had obviously been ruined.
The light breeze began to strengthen and a few very large drops of rain fell from the sky as the world suddenly got very dark.
There was a flurry of activity as various members of the family rushed to salvage foam plates, napkins, bags of chips, jars of condiments, and various deserts from the folding tables that had been set up in the yard.
Herman and Paul abandoned him and Chase, instead of heading inside, went to Cameron's side. He had some sort of urge to protect her and the baby, even if the only threat was a few raindrops. Cameron and her mom were helping Meggie get to her feet--Nick was busy saving the shiska-bobs--so Chase helped the ladies.
Meggie was obviously miserable and embarrassed that she had so much trouble just getting into a standing position. "Maybe you should lie down inside," Chase suggested.
"Why? So I can get stuck there too?" Meggie snapped.
Chase let the remark slide and he went inside with the Parker women.
"Are you cold?" he asked Cameron, noticing her shiver.
She laughed, "No, silly. I just got a chill from the air conditioning."
"Let me get you a towel," he offered.
She placed her hand on his forearm, "I'm fine, really. You worry too much."
"Well, you know. Baby."
"The baby is warm and toasty in its incubator and you know that. You're as bad as any other father-to-be, I swear!" She saw that he looked just a little bit hurt by her admonition. "And I love you for it," she added, then gave him a kiss on the cheek.
"Baby!" Meggie exclaimed suddenly, grabbing her stomach as a sharp pain coursed through her. "I think my water just broke."
"Your water broke? Are you sure?" Cameron asked.
Meggie gave her sister a death glare. "Pretty sure. Yeah," she snipped.
"We have to get you to the hospital!"
"Do you think so, Doc?" Meggie asked, still in a foul temper.
"Nick!" Chase called, scanning the living room for his brother-in-law.
Nick came to him. "What's up?"
"Your wife is in labor," Chase told him.
Nick ran to the kitchen where he found Meggie grabbing the sink while she was wracked with a contraction. Her sister was holding a wet cloth to her forehead and telling her everything would be okay and their cousin Julie was cleaning the floor. "Call an ambulance!" Nick bellowed, reaching for his cell phone.
"I don't need an ambulance," Meggie said through gritted teeth. "Just drive me."
Nick took her hand, "Let me help you to the car. Should I carry you?"
"As if you could," Meggie scoffed. "I may not be able to get up by myself, but I can still waddle."
"I'm going with you!" Ellen declared. "This is so exciting! Our first grandchild!"
"Good luck," Cameron said, giving her sister a hug. "Everything's going to be just fine."
"Aren't you coming with me?" Meggie asked, a look of horror on her face.
"Well, I--you want me to come?" Cameron asked, surprised. She thought she and Chase would go see the baby after it arrived.
"You're my sister and you're a doctor. You have to come!"
"Oh!" Cameron gasp. "Okay. That's great. Chase, do you want to come with us or stay here?"
Chase was certain he found the idea of being with Cameron's family without her far more terrifying than Meggie found facing labor without her. "I'll go with you."